Pipe-tongs.



R. A. MoLEOD.

PIPE TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1913.

Patented May 12, 1914.

WITNESSES: if; h

| Q 56 1| w z l INVENTOR BAMQLEMJ y i RNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOORAPN 60..WASHINGTON. 0. c,

TED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

PIPE-TONGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1914.

Application filed August 21, 1913. Serial No. 785,837.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, REUBEN A. MoLEon, acitizen of the United States, residin at Electra, in the county ofWichita and S tate of Texas, have invented certain new and the use inthe tongs of a cam lever principle hereinafter made clear.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chain tongs which may beapplied to produce rotation of a pipe in either direction.

Other objects are to provide a chain tongs which will not crush the pipewith which it is engaged, and which may be instantly released from thepipe by a slight angular displacement of the tongs handle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described that will be strong, durable, simple and efficientand comparatively inexpensive to produce, also one in which the severalparts will not be likely to get out of working order,

WVith the above and other objects in View, the invent-ion has relationto certain novel features of construction and operation, an example ofwhich is described in the following specification and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein;

Figure 1 is a top view of my chain tongs, showing the same engaged witha piece of pipe. Fig. 2 is a view of same in side elevation. Fig. 3 is aview similar to Fig. 1, showing the invention in a slightly modifiedform with one of its cover plates removed. Fig. 4 is a transversesectional view of the tongs, the section being taken upon the line X-Xof Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like referencecharacters designate similar parts in all the figures, the numeral 1denotes the manipulating lever of the tongs, which will preferably be ofrectangular cross-section and will be gradually rounded between itslateral faces at its working extremity as indicated at 2.

A short distance from said extremity the lever 1 is formed With a slot 3midway between its lateral faces and elongated longitudinally of thelever. The extremities of the slot will preferably be rounded as isclearly shown in Fig. 3. The working extremity of the lever 1 isinserted between the top and bottom cover plates l, which have a pivotedconnection with the lever by means of a bolt 5 assing through the slot3, and through said. plates, which are respectively engaged by the headof the bolt and a nut carried by its threaded end. At their points ofconnection with the lever 1, the plates 4 have a width somewhat greaterthan that of said lever, the plates projecting equally at each side ofthe lever. The lateral edges of the plates are so curved as to graduallyincrease their width from their pivoted to their free extremities. Thefree ends of the plates 4 are formed with obtuse angled V-shaped edgesas indicated at 5. The free extremities of the plates 4 project acertain distance beyond the working end. of the lever 1 and between theportions of said plates thus projecting, there is mounted a steel body 6held in rigid relation to the plates by the bolts 7, said bolts servingalso to establish a rigid relation between the plates l. That edge ofthe body 6 which is nearest adjacent to the curved end of the lever 1forms a circular are 8 centered upon a line passing through the pin 5and bisecting the distance between the lateral edges of the member 6,the radius of said are being considerably less than the distance betweenthe end of the lever 1 andslot 3 in said lever. That edge of the body (3which is farthest removed from the lever 1 is formed with two widelydivergent, oppositely serrated jaws 9 and 10 which project slightly frombetween the cover plates 4 and are parallel to the free ends of saidplates. The lateral edge portions of the plates 4 project sufiicientlybeyond the lateral edges of the body 6 to permit certain portions of atongs chain 11 to be housed between said portions of the cover plate.Into the top and bottom faces of the lever 1, there are set tworectangular plates 12, proj ecting equally at their extremities beyondthe lateral edges of the lever and held in place by rivets 12 passingthrough the lever. The

slot 3 in the lever passes also through the plates 12. One extremity ofthe chain 11 is permanently secured between the projecting ends of theplates 12 at one side of the lever, the connection being established byrivets 13. The pins 14 which establish a pivotal connection between thelinks of said chain 11 have their extremities projecting at each side ofthe same so that the extremities of any two adjacent pins 14 in the freeend portion of the chain may be engaged in recesses 15 formed in theother projecting extremities of the plates 12. In the modified form ofmy invention shown in Fig. 3, the member 1 is formed wit-h asubstantially semi-circular arcuate edge, to replace the jaws 9 and 10,the serrations of said edge being oppositely pointed at each side of itscenter as indicated at 1'? and l8-respectively.

In the above described invention, the serrated jaws 9 and 10, or theserrated edges 17 and 18 are first brought into contact with the pipewhich is to be rotated as shown in the drawing. The chain 11 is thenpassed around the pipe, leaving as little slack as possible, and itsfree end portion is secured by engaging two adjacent pins 14L of saidend portion in the recesses 15. The lever is now manually subjected toan angular dis placement in the direction in which it is desired torotate the pipe. During this displacement, said lever will pivot aboutthe bolt 5, its cam-forming extremity 2 sliding upon the circular face 8of the member 6. This sliding engagement between the portion 2 of thelever and the portion 8 of the member 6 will displace the working end ofthe lever away from the pipe 16 which is engaged bythe tongs, the slot 3permitting the relative movement between the bolt 5 and the lever whichmust take place during angtilar displacement of the lever. Consequentlythe chain 11 is drawn tight against the pipe 16 engaging said pipe veryfirmly with the serrated jaws 9 and 10 and forcing the pipe toparticipate inthe rotation which is being impressed upon the tongs. Inone direction of rotation the teeth of the jaw 9 will resist thetendency of the pipe 16 to remain stationary and in the other directionof rotation the teeth of the jaw 10 will accomplish a similar effect.Thus the pipe 16 may be rotated in either direction without changing themanner in which it is engaged with the tongs. The cam lever principle bywhich'the chain is gradually drawn taut as the cam portion 2 of thelever travels about the curve 8 permits a strong rotative force to beapplied to the pipe.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications andchanges as properly come within the scope of the following claims.

vVhat I claim is:

'1. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a lever having one of its extremities roundedbetween the lateral faces of the lever, of opposite plates mounted uponthe top and bottom faces of the lever adjacent to its rounded end, apair of cover plates pivoted upon the top and bottom faces of the leveradjacent to its rounded end and adapted to undergo a limited slidingdisplacement longitudinally of the lever, a body rigidly mounted betweensaid plates formed with'an arcuate edge of lesser ,radius than thedistance from the end of engage removably between said plates at theother side of the lever.

2. In a device of the characterdescribed, the combination with a leverhaving a rounded end and formed with a central slot longitudinally ofthe lever adjacent to said rounded end, of a pair of plates mounted uponthe top and bottom faces of the lever opposite to said slot, a pinmounted in. said slot, a pair of plates between which the roundedextremity of the lever is inserted, said plates being engaged by theopposite ends of said pin, a body rigidly mounted between said coverplates formed with an arcuate face adapted to contact with the roundedend of the lever and formed also with a pair of oppositely serrated jawsprojecting from between said plates, and a pivot link chain having oneof its extremities-permanently mounted between the plates carried by thelever at one side of the lever and the other separably mounted betweensaid plates at the other side of the lever.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a leverhaving a rounded end, and formed with a central slot longitudinally ofthe lever adjacent to said rounded end, of a pair of plates mounted uponthe top and bottom faces of the lever opposite to said slot, a pinmounted in said slot, a pair of parallel cover plates engaging oppositefaces of the lever and rigidly engaged by opposite ends of said pin, thewidth of said plates being gradually increased from their pivoted totheir free extremity, a body rigidly engaged between said cover plates,having an arcuate edge with which the rounded extremity of the lever hassliding contact when the lever is subjectedto angular displacement aboutits pivot pin, said body being also formed with a pair of oppositelyserrated jaws projecting from between the free ends of said plates, anda chain having one of its extremities secured between the plates carriedby the lever at one side of the lever, the

other extremity of said chain being adapted name to this specificationin the presence of to separably engage between said plates at twosubscribing witnesses.

the other side of the lever, certain ortions of the chain being housedbetween th d lateral REUBEN MCLEOD 5 edge portions of the cover platesWhen the \Vitnesses:

device is in use. HARVEY I-Lxmus, In testimony whereof I have signed myW. H. YOUNG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

